Winter 2018 by PSIA-AASI Eastern

WINTER 2018

Snow

The Official Publication of the Professional Ski Instructors of America Eastern / Education Foundation

Regions 1 & 2 Election Issue Franz Krickl, Tony Keller Honored at Snowsports Management Banquet Einar Aas Award for Excellence in Snowsports School Management 2017 Honoree – Franz Krickl, Windham Mountain, NY

he Eastern Division began awarding the Einar Aas Award for Excellence in Snowsports School Management in 2009. The Einar Aas Award is presented to a snowsports school director in the Eastern Division as a tribute to the late Einar Aas and to honor his memory. Einar was an outstanding snowsports school director; his dedication to his students, his school, this organization (both divisionally and nationally) and the snowsports industry is leg- Franz Krickl with his Einar Aas Award on proud endary. This award recognizes display in his office at Windham Mountain, NY a snowsports school director for achieving and maintaining the highest standards in snowsports school management as nominated and selected by his/her peers. Past honorees include: 2009

Frederica “Freddie” Anderson; Schenectady (NY) Ski School

2010

Dave Merriam; Stowe (VT) Snowsports School

2011

No award

2012

Roberta “Bertie” Holland; Pats Peak, NH

2013

Karen Dolan; Cranmore, NH

2014

Terry Barbour, Mad River Glen, VT

2015 Co-honorees Doug Kaufmann, Mount Snow, VT and Gwen Allard, Double H Ranch, NY 2016

By Ted Fleischer PSIA-AASI Eastern Snowboard Examiner

Eastern AASI Ed Staff member Joe Jones with Pop-Up attendees John Eason, Jason Young, Dylan Sanford and Annie Junnila. Photo by “event host” Ted Fleischer.

ow, what a cool set-up. Jay Peak gets dumped on one week (or for several weeks), the forecast looks good for the upcoming week, and the kind folks at the PSIA-AASI Eastern Division office spring (or should I say “huck”) into action. An announcement went out on a Friday about a new Pop-Up event that would happen on the following Wednesday and Thursday. In addition to donating lift tickets, Jay Peak also stepped up with a steep lodging discount for all participants. It was a door-buster sale and we had to act fast. This was an event that was not originally listed on the 2017-18 Eastern Event Schedule. An obvious advantage here is our organization being nimble enough that we can take advantage of (and send you to) great snow conditions. On Wednesday morning, January 10 I was lucky enough to meet, greet and spend the day with four diverse participants and the course

continued on page 23

Pete Weber, Waterville Valley, NH

The 2017 honoree is Franz Krickl of Windham Mountain, NY. Franz is a living (and skiing) legend at Windham, having been a fixture at the Snowsports school there for nearly 40 years! Franz received a record number of individual nominations for this award – 46. In their nomination forms, his staff describes him using the following terms: Spectacular leader – role model – dedicated – involved – available – visible – supportive – encouraging to us in every way.

continued on page 20

Big Fun for a Small Group at PSIAAASI Pop-Up Event at Jay Peak, VT

inside Executive Tracks Snowsports Inspirations National Report Your Turn

3 4 8 22

president’s message

Snow

The Official Publication of the Professional Ski Instructors of America Eastern / Education Foundation

ROSS BO I S VE R T , EA S TERN DI VI SI ON PR E S I DE NT

hings have been popping at the Eastern Division since the first week of December so I wanted to pause and give you a brief update on “the season so far.” As I write this on Martin Luther King Holiday, there are a number of positive and encouraging early-season indicators. Certainly, the generally favorable snow and weather conditions have helped the cause as well and members seem excited to get out there on the hill to “learn it, love it and share it!” ProJam/Master’s Academy/Colleges This event enjoyed awesome early-season conditions at Killington, VT and was the biggest and most successful membership event in our division history! • Record combined attendance of 536 registrants, ed staff and suppliers • Record “Super Raffle” results with $7,905 raised (more than $1,000 better than the previous best) for the EF member scholarships and ed/programs fund. Early Season Level I Exams Our “early season special” Level I exams at a greatly reduced cost of $99 (vs. the normal fee of $155) have seen significant growth this season. • We are conducting 13 Alpine Early Season Level 1 exams with 100 attendees are running this year vs. 7 for 75 attendees in 2016-17 • 6 Snowboard Early Season Level I exams for 44 attendees vs 4 for 47 in 2016-17 • 19 total Early Season Level 1 exams with 144 attendees this season vs 11 Early Season Level I exams last season for 122 attendees. Member Retention through December 31, 2017 • Up 1.5% over last year with 85.7% of members having renewed so far vs. 84.2% last season. • Our youngest membership segment (16-29 year of age) is up nearly 2% as well. New Members through December 31, 2017 • Up 43 YTD vs 2016-17 and up 67 vs 2015-16 • U p 16.9% vs. December 31, 2016 • % of Budget Goal 28.65% vs. 21.25% as of December 31, 2016 Our early season push to Eastern school directors to “not delay” their staff for membership seems to be paying off with more new members joining and taking their Level I exams than last year.

First Ever Eastern “Pop-Up” Event: This was a suggestion made at the Spring 2017 Focus Group meeting and I’m happy to say we’ve pulled one off already and hope to do several more as conditions and demand warrants. • Announced on Friday, January 5 for Jay Peak, VT • Event ran THIS week on Wednesday-Thursday, January 13-14 with 4 attendees Weekly “Event Deadline Reminder” Broadcast e-mails While it is too early to get a solid picture on event attendance trends, anecdotally we are seeing weekly “bumps” to online event registrations after each Friday broadcast to members listing the event deadlines for the following Wednesday. We are also posting this on our social media outlets as well and will continue to do so throughout the season and hope you find this a helpful convenient reminder to all the programs available to you as a member. If we ever had chance to reenergize the ski industry with excitement and getting new people into the sports, its now. SHARE THE PASSION with someone new. You can always contact me at president@ psia-.org. Think snow and get out and glide. Thank you, Ross Boisvert <<

Volume 44, Number 3 Michael J. Mendrick, Managing Editor Karen Haringa, Assistant Editor The official publication of the Professional Ski Instructors of America-Eastern Education Foundation 1-A Lincoln Avenue Albany, NY 12205-4907 Phone 518-452-6095 Fax 518-452-6099 www.psia-e.org

General Information Submission of articles, photos or other items for publication is invited. Articles are not to exceed about 1000 words. Receipt of submissions will be confirmed to the writer. Upcoming deadlines are published in each issue of SnowPro. Material should be sent to “SnowPro Editor” at: psia-e@psia-e.org as an MS Word document attachment. All submitted material is subject to editing. Its use, whether solicited or not, is at the discretion of the editorial staff. All published material becomes the property of PSIA-E/EF. Articles are accepted on the condition that they may be released for publication in all National and Divisional publications. SnowPro is published four times per year by the Professional Ski Instructors of AmericaEastern Education Foundation. Permission is hereby given to all National and Divisional publications to copy original material from this newsletter providing credit is given to PSIA-E/ EF and the author, and the material is not altered. Articles that contain specific copyright notices may not be reprinted without written permission from the author. Note: Material published in SnowPro which has been provided by persons not writing in an official capacity, and for official purposes, is the responsibility of the author, and is not necessarily endorsed by the Association. PSIA-E/EF reserves the right to refuse or edit all advertising.

3 PSIA-E Education Foundation & PSIA-AASI Eastern Staff Michael J. Mendrick Executive Director Don Haringa Director of Education & Programs Krista DiCaprio Director of Member Services Board of Directors President Ross Boisvert Vice President Peter Howard Immediate Past President Eric Jordan Region I Director – Peter Howard Representative – Peter Holland (Treasurer, PSIA-E) Region II Director – Ted Fleischer Representative – Katherine MacLauchlan Region III Director – Dave Beckwith (Secretary, PSIA-E) Representative – Dave Welch Region IV Director – Bob Shostek Representative – Steve Martin Region V Director – Dick Fox Representative – Joe Hazard Region VI Director – Joan Heaton Representative – Charlie Knopp Region VII Director – Walter Jaeger Representative –Paul Crenshaw

executive tracks M I C HAE L J. M E N D RI C K , E X E C UT I V E D I R E C T OR

ProJam Super Raffle Sets a Record for the Education Foundation Nearly $8,000 raised at the ProJam banquet!

his gathering of more than 550 generous Eastern members raised a record $7,905 in two hours by supporting the ProJam Super Raffle on December 14 at Killington, VT. That beats the old record by more than $1,000! This one raffle will fund more than FIFTY future event scholarships for members! A big thanks to the sales crew of Bob Shostek, Ken Sauer, Aleks Smith, Chris Dayton, Doug Hammond, Chris Ericson, Lani Tapley , Mike Durico, Vic Antonelli, Chris Eseppi and company for the outstanding ticket sales effort. Also a big shout-out to Eastern staff Candace Charles and Don Haringa for organizing our biggest raffle ever - more than 40 items. Also thanks to the ad hoc crew of “ticket tearers” (you know who you are)! The raffle was given a huge boost thanks to Elan/Alpina and Salomon for the donation of skis and to our National PSIA-AASI office and National Sponsor Patagonia for the $2,000 prize package. And finally, “great job” to PSIA-AASI CEO Nick Herrin for being our Special Guest Winning Ticket Puller!

Thanks to ALL the following raffle item donations: • E lan 88 AMPHIBIO XTi Skis and Bindings courtesy of Bill Irwin • Leki poles/glove/pop-up seat package • Salomon XDR 84 Skis • P atagonia clothing package (courtesy of Patagonia and National PSIA-AASI) • $ 200 event certificate courtesy of Bob Shostek donation • Avalanche jacket courtesy of Keith Smith • Transpack Boot Vaults • Two lift tickets to Stowe, VT • Two lift tickets to Mount Snow, VT • Stone Joy hand-made wool hat • Point 6 Women’s Ski Socks • Swany gloves • Head Rebel backpack • SkiA Balance Trainer • Icebreaker Half-Zip Hoodie and long underwear • POC helmet • P ower Play DVD (courtesy of Alison Cumming and Bonnie O’Hara) • Be Fit to Ski book (courtesy of Sue Kramer)

Committee Chairpersons Alpine Education & Certification Committee Chris Ericson Snowsports School Management Committee Doug Daniels Alpine Education Staff/BOE Erik Barnes Children’s Committee Sue Kramer PSIA Representative Tom Butler Adaptive Advisor Kathy Chandler Nordic Coordinator Mickey Stone AASI Advisor Brian Donovan Area Rep Program Coordinator Joan Heaton Membership & Promotions Committee Walter Jaeger

• Swix poles • 686 Women’s Smarty Catwalk Jacket <<

Some of the 500+ ProJam banquet attendees.

zipperline

nowsports Inspirations Selling Fun By Ted Fleischer PSIA-AASI Eastern Examiner and Region 2 Director, Jay Peak Ski & Ride School Training Supervisor

lease note: By no means is this article an endorsement for a content-free, “follow me” type of lesson. In my experience, instructors go through several stages of development. First Stage – We often have only enough information to teach a linear progression. Second Stage – We understand our craft well enough to explain it in different words but often spend too much time talking and not enough time moving. Third Stage – We attain the perfect blend of mostly fun movement with a smattering of helpful skill developing tips. To the untrained eye, Stage Three could look similar to a Stage One “follow me” style of lesson. They couldn’t be farther apart. The below article is NOT an excuse to not know your craft, not understand mechanics and just spin laps on the lift with your students. I love Skiing. I love Snowboarding. I love Snowdecks. I love Snow. In fact, I even love a good, thick, fairytale-style, crippling, blizzard. I don’t love terminology that’s used to confuse, by intent or not, but that’s what we do. I don’t love judging whether or not someone else is doing it right, but that’s what we do. I don’t love yelling through the frozen din of snow guns to express my view, but that’s what we do. I don’t love adjusting, or changing my view, but that’s what we sometimes have to do. By trade, we adjust to the scene in front of us: a timid student who wants to improve; a shy teen afraid to make a mistake … and be seen; a husband who wants to impress his black diamond wife; a parent who desperately wants their young child to love, Love, LOVE, sliding as much as they do; an individual who’s still looking for something in life to connect with. We adjust to them all … somewhat. As instructors and as an industry, we own a diamond mine. We mine the mountains and try to get folks to understand the Shine that we love in our sport. Are we selling them what they really want though? We think if we get them to that “next breakthrough” that we will win, we will convince, we will convert. We’ve been mistaken. Our Guests, for the most part, don’t come to us to be World Cup skiers

or US Open Snowboarders. Whether they know it or not, they’re interested in being part of a perceived culture and, most importantly, they’re interested in HAVING FUN. Yes really, no joke, that’s mostly all that they want. Getting them to have fun should be our goal as instructors. The reason our Guests think it’s so important to improve their technique is because we’ve convinced them that to have fun, they need to “get past that plateau,” “be all-mountain riders,” or “be expert skiers.” I’m quite sure that we’ve been wrong about this. I know our mantra is “Safety, Fun, Learning” and Safety is paramount. However, my observations at various mountains and exams suggest that somewhere along the way, we’ve switched the order of the last two. There is no way you can convince me that the folks I see coming down the hill making windshield wiper turns or skiing in a power wedge, yet still grinning from ear to ear and laughing, are more in need of our help than the local pro who gets down on themselves because of a lack-luster performance related to some minutia of sliding. Are there more opportunities to have fun as your skill set improves? Perhaps, but mostly because it opens up more available terrain to play on. It has no effect on the quality of fun someone can have. Is it required to be an expert to have the top level of World-Class Fun at your fingertips? Absolutely not. We own a heck of a diamond mine but when we focus on technique at the expense of fun, we end up selling the dirt and ditching the diamonds! We’re selling technique while we should be selling FUN. It’s fun, it’s culture, it’s an open and welcoming atmosphere that folks desire. It’s not always technique that they need. Unfortunately, we’ve allowed those intangible things to get second billing as we peddle our wares in the guise of “Guaranteed learn-to-turn or your money back,” “Reach that next level,” “Perfect thisor-that,” or whatever catchy phrase the kind folks in charge have tried to help us with. It’s not rocket science, it’s not delivering the US Mail, it’s just … plain … fun. You don’t have to use terms from physics, you’re allowed to drive in reverse … it’s

called switch, and you’re allowed to have fun. Show fun to your students and celebrate it with them. Celebrate it on their terms, at their skill level, on their terrain. Show them how to have fun first, then provide a little skill guidance along the way. If you teach them ten things but they don’t have fun and never come back, did you win? No. If you only teach them one thing, but they love sliding, love the atmosphere, love your resort, and come back over and over again, do you need to be worried that you only taught them one thing? No, because they’ll be back. They’ll want to slide with you again. The timid student will forget they’re afraid while they’re having fun. The parents of that little kid will get to ski again because the KID loves it. The husband will endear himself to his black-diamond wife because she’ll see his love for her sport. The gawky teen will realize that it doesn’t matter if folks see you mess up because you’re supposed to slide like no one is watching. It’s just like dancing. And if you’re really, really, lucky, you’ll show your love of our sport, our culture, and our environment to that kid who’s looking for the one thing in life to excel at, and he’ll have FUN for the rest of his life. So please, for the love of Ullr, please show folks why you ride, show folks why you ski, show them what you love, Love, LOVE about Skiing and Riding. The things you love are probably the sensations, the culture, the environment, and not necessarily the tech manual. Do you need to know what you’re doing and what to teach? Of course you do, but HAVE FUN doing it. The better you fully understand something, the easier it is to have fun with it. If we all do this together, and then sneak the mortar of skill development between the larger bricks of fun, we’ll have happy guests who will return and fall in love with our Industry. We will build them a solid foundation and help foster a lifelong love of our sport. That’s going to be our path to convince, to convert, and to win. Now get outside and Slide. <<

more on next page

Progress Past the Progressions and Keep Having Fun! By Peter Novom PSIA-E Examiner Training Squad, Staff Trainer Okemo Mountain Resort

uring the recent holidays when it was seriously in the negatives and windy, I had a lesson with two twins, Matt and Sarah. When I logged in to see my schedule, I noticed that they were 6 years old and approximately a level 3. I immediately pictured in my head a slow cold day on the magic carpet and promptly put on another layer. With the wind howling and at least 6 inches of fresh snow blowing around the hill, I walked over to the private lesson supervisor. There they were, small and already shivering, with wide eyes and wondering about this new person they were about to ski with. I said hello to them and immediately was greeted with nervous requests for the magic carpet and for slow mellow skiing. “No chairlift please…?” they said. After many high fives and several snowballs thrown at other unsuspecting instructors, I managed to pry them off mom and dad’s pant legs and headed slowly towards the magic carpet. First warm up run down it seemed clear that with the cold weather and fresh snow, fear had kicked in and they weren’t having much success or fun. Then on the second run something magical happened. Sarah panicked and veered off the groomed, straight towards a wide swath of deep fresh snow. She came to a dead stop and looked back towards us and yelled for help!

I thought about pulling her out of the skis and walking back to the groomed, but instead I decided to embrace it. “We’re going on an adventure” I yelled to her brother. “Come on over and join us.” He nervously skied in to the track behind her and looked at me for direction. I showed them how to karate kick the snow off their skis and walk with purpose through the snow. “Stay on my track” I said and lead them in a large “S” through the snow back towards the magic carpet. Wasn’t that fun, I asked them? Immediately we were warm and having loads of fun. Walking, stepping and shuffling got them balanced and turning better. We needed more of this. I told them quietly and secretively that there were more new trails and adventures to be had through the snow up the chairlift. This time no one protested, and we headed straight up the chairlift. We spent the rest of the morning whooping and hollering our way around the beginner green runs. We were explorers looking for the unknown and untracked. I would lead the way breaking trail through the soft snow on the sides and the occasional turn in and out of the woods on the edge. Everyone ended upside-down many times, resulting only in more warmth from the struggle and giggles all around. This was the best day of their skiing lives! When we first start teaching, we are very con-

cerned about the “right progressions.” We make a plan and stick to it no matter what. If I had done this, there is no way they would’ve made it 3 hours shivering and cold, trying to make perfect wedge turns on the magic carpet. People, even other instructors, often ask me how I’ve been able to do this for so long. “Aren’t you bored of doing the same thing over and over again?” My answer is emphatically “no!” I am having fun and no two lessons are the same! If you watch and pay attention, ask questions on the chairlift or simply take advantage of the situation along the way, it’s never boring. After a few years of teaching, we learn that success is not about progressions; it’s about judgement calls and snap decisions. Do we normally teach powder lessons to wedge skiers? Not usually. But after one unexpected encounter with fresh snow, I immediately realized the learning potential here. You can’t wedge your way through deep snow. We would have to walk and move and balance on our skis as we turn our feet. And we can learn all this without them even realizing they’re learning it! This season, I am celebrating my 22nd season teaching and I’m still having fun taking people on adventures down the hill. We can all fall into routines and teach the same thing over and over, or we can see a glimmer of something good, seize the day and turn it into a magical coaching moment. <<

Are You an Inspirational Teacher? By Chris Ericson PSIA-AASI Eastern Examiner, Education and Certification Committee Chairperson

o you remember your first PSIA or AASI clinic? If you are like most, it was an experience that hopefully motivated you, helped you to develop some thought-provoking ideas in your own skiing or riding and also inspired you. For me, my first clinic was a registration workshop in 1987 with a new Examiner, Terry Barbour. It was at a small, now closed, Catskill ski area called Scotch Valley (years later changed to Deer Run). It was an event held in late March, the sun was warm, and the moguls were large, and Terry was standing at the top of the bump run. We could tell he was foaming at the mouth, ready to show us his “strategy” for skiing these snow-covered VW’s. As he took off from the group I was amazed at his athleticism, tactics and yes, strategy he used in his fearless assault of these bumps. We were being “schooled” on

what we would later come to call skill blending. He appeared to be floating effortlessly, with his legs retracting oh so smoothly, the skis remaining in touch with the snow and his speed constant (constantly fast that is). His legs were doing something completely different than his upper body. Then in one moment, there appeared to be a slight glitch – something happened - and then he was back to making his turns. But we all knew something was indeed different when someone in the group yelled out; “he is on one ski!” He had lost a ski and continued on his bump run as if nothing had changed. Being inspired is an understatement, because that day changed me for the rest of my life. As we know, inspiration can come in many forms and even in the Snowsports Instructor World, what inspires one instructor, may not inspire another. I really enjoy watching incred-

ibly precise skiing that is teetering on the verge of a complete yard sale. Athleticism, fitness, cat-like reflexes and accuracy would also define what I love to watch. Over the years however, I have been inspired by great teachers who may not necessarily have the refined athleticism and fitness, but an incredible personality and a way to communicate that uses various verbal and non-verbal techniques. They use terrain that helps build on the experience and contributes to understanding and replicating fundamental mechanics. They keep the student engaged and wanting to come back for more. These types of teachers inspire me to be better at what I do. As instructors and ambassadors to the winter playground, ask yourself; what is it that you do in your lessons to keep it fun, exciting, challenging, adventurous and inspirational? Who knows, you may have the next PSIA Examiner in your group. <<

>> zipperline, continued

It was so good last year – we are going back! Alpine Spring Academy & Spring Rally at Sugarbush, VT! PSIA-E Alpine Spring Academy - April 5-8, 2018, Sugarbush, VT Join the Eastern Tech Team members and get ready to take your skiing and teaching to the next level. Focus on the five fundamentals of skiing and see for yourself how these affect the learning experience while improving your own skiing. This clinic will focus on techniques and tactics to deal with the conditions du jour which helps prepare skiers for a broader range of conditions. The groups will be small with a maximum of eight members per coach. You can expect plenty of ski time and lots of individual feedback at this event! We have added a cornhole tournament on Thursday afternoon. Four skiing filled days will provide a fun, dynamic and educational event for the end of season. Sugarbush Resort is offering 20% discount resort wide on lodging for PSIA AASI members.

are organized according to certification needs, ski experience and education desires. Start now to gather up your friends and colleagues for this end of season hurrah in April at Sugarbush Resort! What is spring skiing without an après ski party?! Saturday afternoon mingle with other participants in the Valley House Lodge for an Après Ski Party and Spring Celebration beginning at 4 p.m. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be available. And of course, it wouldn’t be Spring Rally without the Norwegian Party for Nordic Spring Rally Participants! Sign up online before March 14, 2018!

PSIA-E Spring Rally – April 7 & 8, 2018, Sugarbush, VT Once a year we invite ALL PSIA and AASI members for one final “hurrah on the hill”! All Alpine, AASI, Adaptive and Nordic members are invited. The Spring Rally is a great way to catch up on your PSIA-E/AASI education credits and ski or ride with new and old friends for the weekend. Ski and ride groups

Event 266 – Alpine Spring Academy

April 5-8

$360

Event 267 – Alpine Spring Rally

April 7-8

$200

Event 493 – AASI Spring Rally

April 7-8

$200

Event 599 – Adaptive Spring Rally

April 7-8

$200

Event 680 – Telemark Spring Rally

April 7-8

$200 <<

Ray Allard 50 Years with PSIA!

ongratulations to “Eastern Icon”, former National PSIA-AASI President, former Eastern Division Executive Director and longtime friend, Eastern Alpine Examiner and inspiration to many in Snowsports education - Ray Allard - on your 50 year anniversary as a PSIA member! Here is a brief summary of an impressive halfcentury (and counting) of contributions to Snowsports education by Ray Allard. A ski instructor since 1960, Allard was certified in 1968 and was an Alpine Examiner from 1973 to 2011 (38 years!). He also served as PSIA Eastern Division Executive Director from 1984–1999. A member of the national and his division’s board of directors since 1997, Allard has also served as chairman of several committees and task forces, including the Certification Committee (1979–84), the Publication and Technology Task Force (1999–2003), and the PSIA/AASI Education Advisory Council (2003). Ray became the national PSIA-AASI president in 2006 and served for two terms in that capacity. Claiming to be “semi-retired” for many years, you can still find Ray most days in-season working as an instructor/trainer at Vermont’s Killington Resort and heading up the beginner program there as well. <<

Eastern Director of Education Don Haringa Honored

ongratulations to Eastern Division Director of Education & Programs Don Haringa for being honored with the Joe Wood Examiner Emeritus Award recognizing 25 years of active service as an Eastern Alpine Examiner. The award was presented by Alpine Ed Staff Chairperson Erik Barnes on January 4 during Examiner Training at Mount Snow, VT. Thanks & Bravo, Don! <<

Josh Haagen’s group enjoys the excellent conditions and blue skies

Suzy Chase-Motzkin and her Pro Jam group in a winter wonderland

Pro Jam Ed Staff getting into the Nerdy Sock Hop in the magic mirror

More Good Stuff!

hope that you have noticed a couple of great articles on teaching in this issue. Well, there’s more! Please be sure to check out Greg Fatigate’s article, Whose Lesson is it Anyway? You will find it in the Absolutely AASI section! <<

Dave Capron poses with his Pro Jam group at the summit of Killington

national report By Tom Butler, PSIA-Eastern Rep on the PSIA-AASI National Board

commented, “Never miss an opportunity to say a word of congratulation upon anyone’s achievement.” I couldn’t agree more and the following is a primer on the ways that we can recognize one another at a national level. RISING STAR AWARD This award recognizes newer PSIA-AASI members who have demonstrated positive leadership behavior within the snowsport industry. This award is for members who show extraordinary promise charting a career path within the snowsport industry, members who are volunteer leaders, or who are otherwise distinguishing themselves in an exemplary fashion. Nominations for this award are due by May 1.

ello everyone, welcome to another episode of “What Really Goes on in Denver.” In the last Snow Pro, I wrote about the improved communication between Denver and Albany and the regular sharing of ideas between National CEO Nick Herrin and our Eastern Division Executive Director, Michael Mendrick. For this edition of the Snow Pro, I wanted to let you know about one of the committees that serve the membership and one that I am proud to be affiliated with, the Awards and Recognition Committee. Susan Heathfield, a human resources expert and someone who has never been in my kitchen commented that “Recognition is not a scarce resource. You can’t use it up or run out of it.” Basically, recognizing others is something that we should do freely and often without fear of overdoing it. As teachers, we all look for opportunities to praise our students even if it’s for something as simple as buckling their boots correctly. Complimenting our guests, especially after accomplishing something they have worked hard on transforms them, their physiology changes and confidence soars. The same applies for your comrades or staff members. Teaching is hard and the road to certification is a long one so people need to be celebrated, high fives need to be exchanged, and recognition needs to happen. Sometimes we give people a pat on the back and others we recognize them more publicly. Nominating a coworker or a staff member for national recognition is an impactful way to recognize someone. To quote another person who never has been near my kitchen, President Lyndon Johnson

EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD This award recognizes those exceptional few members who have authored PSIA-AASI educational materials over the years. They have added significantly to, and possibly even changed, the educational direction of PSIA-AASI (at a Divisional and/or National Level). They have exhibited dedication, devotion and self-sacrifice contributing to the PSIA- AASI educational system, with ten years or more sustained outstanding service. This award’s deadline is December 31 so while it may have recently passed, you should keep it in mind for the remainder of this season and the beginning of the 2018-19 season. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD This award recognizes those who’ve made important contributions that have added to the success of PSIA-AASI. These candidates have displayed long-term commitment and dedication by providing educational programing support, or by contributing to group and/or Team efforts that involve important national initiatives. Other examples of distinguished service may include demonstrating positive leadership skills, fostering connections with and between members, or having a willingness to mentor peers – both young and experienced. The beauty of this award is that it isn’t limited to just PSIA-AASI members. Staff, vendors and industry partners, are eligible to receive this award so think big people. This award’s deadline is December 31 as well. The 3 C’s AWARD – COLLABORATION/ COMMUNICATION/COOPERATION This award recognizes members who demonstrate positive leadership behavior within a

snowsports school. These candidates consistently collaborate, communicate and cooperate with guests, peers, and school management. Positive leadership may be shown through their ability to support their peers within their school and division, as well as volunteering when positive action is needed. These members are seen by school management and fellow pros as a role model for the values and behaviors espoused by our organization and profession. Nominations are invited from snowsport school directors and managers as well as peers. This award has a deadline of May 1. TOP OF THE COURSE AWARD This award is presented to members pursuing Level III certification. It recognizes individuals who score at the highest percentile in skiing/ snowboarding, teaching and technical knowledge; and who empower other candidates during the exam process. Candidates must display exceptional compassion and understanding for the needs of others, which results in a more positive examination environment. This award’s deadline for submissions is May 1. PSIA-AASI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD This award recognizes those exceptional few members who have designed and implemented programs, projects and procedures affecting the association on a national level. They have exhibited dedication, devotion and self-sacrifice serving in national level leadership positions, with ten years or more sustained outstanding service. This award recognizes the highest achievement in the organization. The deadline for this one is December 31. As I mentioned earlier, recognizing one of your staff members or coworkers on a national level is a tremendous honor but one that shouldn’t be thought of as unobtainable. I can tell you from my experience on the national board is that we all look at our organization as one. Yes, we have eight divisions throughout the country and numerous regions within those divisions but we are looking more towards those things that unite us rather than the things that separate us. Nominating members from the East for these awards not only potentially can put them on a national stage, it brings all of us a little bit closer. Thank you and have a great season. Your humble servant, Tom <<

around the regions Region 1 Report By Peter Holland Region 1 Representative

hoo - Whoo!!! The season is off to a good start. We truly have been blessed with amazing conditions, lots of good snowmaking weather, good snow and cold. Hope the latter lets up a bit so that people come out to ski and ride. The Snow Sports Management Seminar at Mount Snow in early December was a success with attendance numbers up. The event opened with an excellent program featuring Jeb Boyd as the keynote speaker. The skiing was darn good, and the rain one day didn’t seem to dampen people’s spirits. I participated in the Eastern Trainer Program and found it to be very informative, challenging and lots of fun. Many you worked at the World Cup over Thanksgiving at Killington which went very well. I believe there were a lot of lessons learned from last year’s event. Those lessons translated into a muchimproved performance for all the support staff and fan based activities. The conditions on the hill were rock hard with 60,000 gallons of water applied to and injected into the hill the week leading up to the event. Talk about having to have well-tuned skis. I was fortunate to work at the start and found it interesting to see how decisions are made. It was amusing to observe that it took about eight officials to decide where to place the start posts for both the GS and Slalom. The New Hampshire Alpine Racing Association held its annual coaches’ clinic at Bretton Woods on 12/7 and 8. This year a record 122 coaches attended, including a number of high school coaches. We had an amazing group of PSIA-E Ed Staff members to lead the groups. Clinicians included Troy Walsh, Dave Capron, Sue Kramer, Matt and Jeb Boyd and Dave Wenn. Conditions were outstanding!! A big thank you to Steve DeBenedictis, Snow Sports Director at Bretton Woods, for making all the arrangements to hold this event. If you haven’t looked at the PSIA-AASI New Instructors Course you really should. This e-learning course is a great introduction to teaching and to PSIA. A number of new instructors and many veterans have taken the course at our school. Aside from being educational and informative for new instructors, the course has also generated much interest in PSIA. Hopefully, it will be a tool to attract new members. We have found that to be the case at Pats Peak. The New Instructors Course can be found at: https://lms.thesnowpros.org/getting-started/ or go to thesnowpros.org, click on Education and then on E-learning.

Lastly, I was privileged to have the opportunity to attended Examiner Training at Mount Snow on Jan 3 and 4. This is another great event which included a talk by Matt Boyd on Dynamic Skiing and a warm up exercise program led by Sue Kramer. Sue’s exercises were supposed to be sweatl-free but not so much for me. It was fun and very entertaining. It was great to be part of a lot of great skiing, idea sharing and evaluations. This is a very important event with the Education Staff working together to learn, teach and improve their skills as well as being evaluated themselves. I thank the Ed Staff for welcoming me. It was a very positive experience. Two reminders: There will be a regional meeting for all of you who would like to join us on 2/8 at Cannon Mountain in the Brookside Children’s Center at 4:30 PM followed by a meeting at Sunday River on 3/19 at 4:00 PM. These meetings are an opportunity for you to voice your opinion or share ideas on how PSIA-AASI can serve you, the membership. Generally, attendance at these meetings is relatively light and we would like to see that change. As I’m finishing this article the weather has gone a little south around here. I’m sure we will get back to winter in a few days. Hope all of you have a great rest of the season. Thanks, Peter Holland

Region 2 Report By Ted Fleischer Region 2 Director

ell, we’re through the first big holiday period of the season. The entry into the 2017-2018 season has been a great one! The Women’s World Cup was held at Killington again, and PSIA’s Pro Jam was a huge success this year. Many resorts in all areas of our region entered the first holiday period of this season with above average snow totals well over 100” and many resorts were 100% open, or nearly so. In fact, in my memory I’m hard pressed to recall such a strong start to a season. If change is more your thing, consider what a variety of weather we received during and after the holiday. We saw pre-wind-chill temps of -30 at the BASE of resorts. We endured a period of two weeks where the highs for each day barely made it above zero. We saw more than one period of sustained wind coupled with these temps and many major resorts closed schools, lifts, or both on more than one occasion. We saw several periods of heavy rain followed by severe flooding, ice jams, and subsequent freezing lockups of the huge blocks of ice that had overflowed the riverbanks. We also had beautiful bluebird days with light and variable winds and great conditions. If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. Vermonters, and those who visit, need to be a hearty bunch.

The weather extremes made it difficult for resort managers to gauge proper staffing levels during a period where many resorts are working hard to move away from the red and into the black. This is challenging in our weather-dependent business at any time, but especially so on years like this. The resorts that seem to do the best are the ones that can provide fun choices for their guests regardless of what the weather is doing. Shopping, waterparks, snowshoeing, fat bikes, mountain coasters, and other amenities help keep reservations intact when the weather goes, umm, north. Related to OUR department, we have the job of showing guests a great time, and keeping them safe. The best instructors also learn to roll with the weather punches and get creative in their teaching styles, subjects, and patterns. We take more quick breaks when working with the little ones … and the big ones. We don’t stand around in the cold or the rain, we get playful and move a lot to get our points across. We show folks our love of the mountain environment in ALL its challenges and wonder, and we celebrate the fact that we love to slide, and that we can always find fun spots to do that. If you can find a way to have fun outside, your guests will follow your lead. If you can’t, you may be in the wrong line of work. We still have some of the best snow in the country right now, we still have LOTS of winter left, and we can still look forward to powder days, groomer days, park days, woods shots and spring corn. Find ways to have fun with the guests while you’re working. Find ways to keep your love of skiing and riding strong while you’re with your friends. Find ways to improve your sliding, teaching, and industry knowledge and share it with us at your next clinic or in your next article for the SnowPro. Embrace winter in all its varied glory, Ullr knows we need to on years like this. See you on the hill! Ted Fleischer – Region 2 Director

Region 3 Report By Dave Beckwith Region 3 Director

ey Region 3! What a great start to the 2017- 2018 season! Great snowmaking temps enabled many Region 3 resorts to open early with great conditions. We will be holding a Region 3 meeting on Feb. 15, 2018 at Yawgoo Valley in Slocum, RI. The meeting is open to all members and even non -members who are interested in hearing more about PSIAAASI. What an excellent forum to hear the latest news within our organization. This will be an early evening meeting. Final details will be made available through your area rep. Hope to see many of you there!

>> around the regions, continued

And speaking of the area reps; get to know the PSIA-AASI rep at your home area. They are your immediate link to information and any questions you would want to get back to the Board of Directors. If you do not know who your area rep is, here is the latest list for Region 3. Ski Sundown Fred Fritz Ski Ward Alexander Halachis Wachusett Glen Carbutt Yawgoo Valley Patty Harrington Ski Blandford Greg Masciadrelli Powder Ridge Grant Kellfkens Mohawk Herb Wollowicka Nashoba Laura Bourne Otis Ridge Bob Crowle Mt. Southington Dave Beckwith Berkshire East Reed Fuller Blue Hills Michael Harrington Bousquet Cindy Barlett Jiminy Peak Gary Rivers I hope you all have had the chance to log into the PSIA National website to check out the new and improved Matrix. It is full of tips and demos that you can access from your smartphone, tablet or PC. Also, if you teach kids, and we all do, make sure you check out the Kids’ Kube app. This is a fantastic app that not only will help you plan and shape your lessons but add fun and excitement as well! It is full of great stuff! At $4.99 for the download it is a bargain! Everyone who teaches kids, or big kids (adults) should have this app. It is fantastic. You can find the link to the Kid’s Kube at the PSIA-AASI Eastern site www.psia-e.org/kidskube/. Cheers; Dave Beckwith - Region 3 Director Dave Welch - Representative

Region 4 Report (PA, NJ) By Bob Shostek Region 4 Director

reetings fellow Region 4 skiers and riders. While mother nature initially started a little slowly, she has not stopped. Record cold temperatures have been present in the east since the Christmas holiday week. When writing this report in early January, it is still below zero every day. By no means should we complain, as you know we have had challenges keeping steady cold temperatures in the east for several years. Most areas throughout our division are experiencing some of the best snow conditions in years! Skiers and riders are all smiles with the snow and tolerating the cold. Get out and be one of them!!! Congratulations to Tony Keller, Region 4 member and Director of Snow Sports Operations at Camelback Mountain Resort for being awarded with the “Ron Kubicki Staff Appreciation Award.” Tony was honored at the Snow Sports School Management

Seminar this past fall. If you know Tony, this is a well-deserved award! The Eastern Division just experienced one of the best Pro-Jam, Level II College and Masters Academies in years. With full attendance at all three, participants left this year’s premier event all smiles, ready for the season. The eastern staff and national team went all out with on-snow educational activities. We also had the bonus of excellent indoor presentations by the national team. Killington, our host area for this year’s event, also brought out the “red carpet” of hospitality both on and off the snow! The event sponsors donated more than ever before (over $9,000 in goods) for our annual raffle, which brought in a record high of over $7,900.00 from our generous attendee’s!!! All of the proceeds from this raffle go into various Educational Foundation scholarship funds. Any member can apply for one of these scholarships. Hats off to all who made this event one of the best! There is already discussion about how to make the event even better next season. Speaking of events, boy do we have a LOT to offer for the rest of the season in the entire division. As I noted in the Fall R4 report, in our region alone we are hosting 105 events, at 12 different resorts, accommodating all disciplines and all levels of education and abilities. We are also offering some new “customized” events available to you and your group. Get a group together and “create your own” in-house curriculum for two days with a course conductor of your choice! Check out the details of this opportunity in the fall SnowPro page 11. It is NEVER too late, so start making your plans. Talk to fellow pros and take advantage of what is still available. Don’t be left out of all the fun and education to be had. Since the snow and the skiing and riding are so good, many of you might be thinking this is the year to take that exam? Well, we still have numerous exams and colleges on the schedule. If you are contemplating an exam this season, take a look at the fall issue of the SnowPro (page 10) for the changes being implemented this season. Or, go onto our eastern website and download the exam guide which has all the specifics for each level. Also, all you talented level III gals and guys looking to bring it to the next level, there is a Development Team Tryout this season. Look over the Fall SnowPro article on page 6 for all the details. We hope to conduct two Regional meetings, one in February at Liberty Resort and one in March at Camelback. We will send out email reminders once the locations and dates are confirmed. Remember there is a LOT OF SKIING AND RIDING REMAINING, WE HOPE TO SEE YOU OUT THERE!!! As always, any questions, suggestions or concerns, feel free to contact Steve Martin or me, your Region 4 reps at any time. See you on the snow…

Region 5 Report By Dick Fox Region 5 Director

appy Winter, all. Region 5 has certainly had a great start to the season with one of the coldest and snowiest Decembers that we can remember. Even with the local media giving Armageddon-like warnings of driving conditions and dangerous wind-chills, guests have been coming and enjoying epic surface conditions. As the Norwegian saying goes, “there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.” At Holiday Valley, everything has been white since late November which finally gave everyone time for training and preparation for a busy Christmas week. We are trying something a little different this year with our focus being “The Guest Experience”. Lots of good thoughts from our veteran staff. The HV Snow sports school has welcomed a new co-Director, Allie Doro. Allie is originally from western New York, having spent the last six years at Steamboat and Aspen. Her passion for the sport and for snowsports education is contagious and she brings youthful energy and enthusiasm to the School. The Holiday Valley Snowsports School has been busy this year with our children’s programs, group program lessons and January Learn a Snowsport Month (LSSM). Co-Director, Allie Doro was the big star of Holiday Valley’s spot during the LSSM National Facebook Live video chat on January 5. She did a great job looking “not cold” and giving a 10-minute tour of our learn to ski/ride facility and programs. Holiday Valley is promoting our half priced learn to ski and snowboard packages on the radio, through our website and social media. We’re also offering a free learn to ski/snowboard package during January with midweek lodging at the Inn at Holiday Valley. And to encourage existing skiers and riders to bring their friends to learn, we’re offering a halfprice ticket for a return visit and encouraging them to enter the National Bring a Friend Challenge to win great prizes. Holiday Valley values new skiers and riders as the future of our industry! Snowsports will be playing an important role in Holiday Valley’s promotion of National Safety Month, as every lesson taught during the week of January 15-22 will feature Your Responsibility Code and Smart Style and how they relate to each level of skiers and riders. Holiday Valley is hosting Lisa Densmore-Ballard as she presents: “Your Turn Women’s Clinic” on January 25-26. Lisa is a widely acclaimed coach, instructor and ski racer and will be assisted by several of our finest women instructors. The premise of this clinic is to give women a chance to get away for a couple of “me” days to focus on what they can do to become more comfortable on more challenging terrain, meet women with similar interests and to enjoy skiing even more.

11 We were excited to have Heidi Ettlinger and Brenna Kelleher from the PSIA National Team with us for two days. The exposure to this level of skiing and training was inspirational for everyone who spent time in between teaching responsibilities. Holiday Valley will be hosting a variety of PSIAAASI events in early March, including Level I, all the modules of the Level II exam, a CS2 accreditation, and several alpine and snowboard certification and educational events. We will host a regional meeting while we have so many members handy on March 6, after the day of skiing. Watch for a reminder in February. Wendy Frank from HoliMont reports that, “for the first time in five years, we actually had our first training session December 16th ON SNOW! Thank you, Mother Nature. We have tons of snow at HoliMont, and our HoliKids and HoliRiders groups are full. We are looking forward to our PSIA-E events in January and March. In January, we are hosting many adaptive events … check out the schedule. HoliMont has a one-day, continuing education “Teaching Women” clinic on Tuesday, March 6th for all of you who have been requesting more events for women. For all you Tele-ers, please join us for the Intro to Trees and Bumps on March 1st and 2nd. Our Trainee Program is growing by leaps and bounds. This season we have over 40 trainees in alpine, snowboard, freestyle and adaptive. Our PSIA Certified Trainers work with trainees on Saturday and Sunday mornings every weekend. Trainees must pass our in-house HoliMont Instructor exam to become instructors. Once they have passed their exam, they move to Level 1 prep clinics in their various disciplines. Trainees also get clinic credit for taking the PSIA-AASI on-line New Instructor Course. I think the course is great for all instructors to take to brush up on their knowledge of PSIA-AASI skiing/ riding and teaching skills. Debbie Goslin from Kissing Bridge can’t keep from bragging that “the terrain at Kissing Bridge is completely open for the first time in 3 years, North Area, Central Area and the South Area, including the World of Your Own chair! Credit goes to Mother Nature for sure and to Kissing Bridge’s new management who are determined to make snow and to offer Western NY skiers and riders the best possible winter experience! Children’s programs and FirstTime ski and ride programs continue to grow. We love sharing our passion for the sport and love for teaching!” Joe Hazzard from Greek Peak adds that “as we wait for our Friday afternoon programs to arrive, we are all amazed by our weather: last week -10; this week 60. Our staff has suggested group therapy to help with the mood swings of Mother Nature. Our opening, just after Thanksgiving was a blessing and we’re going strong through the snow, cold, and now the rain. Most of the veterans are

amazed as we’ve been able to get the ‘good stuff’ open earlier than the previous 4 years. The beneficiary has been the reality we are seeing an increase in some higher end lessons. The other key ingredient to our early success has been the affiliation with Snow Operating. Their experience and commitment to our conversion success has had a significant impact not just in our lesson programs, but the overall increase in the customer satisfaction of their first on-the-snow visit to Greek Peak. It does take a village, and Snow Operating is helping us to define and execute on our goal to convert more visits to life-long skiers and snowboarders. We’re looking forward to hosting AASI events in 2 weeks and alpine event in February. Currently, we plan to also host a PSIA Regional Meeting at Greek Peak on Wed, Feb 7, following the 1st day of the PSIA clinics. If you’re close (or not), we do hope you can attend.” As always, Joe and Dick welcome input and can be reached at: dfox@wmf-inc.com j-hazzard@hotmail.com

Region 6 Report By Charlie Knopp PSIA-AASI Eastern Examiner Region 6 Representative

ello fellow Region 6 members. I hope all of you endured the beginning of winter as Mother Nature sure showed us she can do whatever she wants to. I am happy to say that the resorts in our region all have had ample opportunity to take advantage of the superb snowmaking weather that has been available. So, take advantage and get out there and enjoy the great conditions. Organic Growth Expansion Projects Hunter Mountain Expansion Peak Resorts intends to apply for construction permits at the company’s Hunter Mountain Resort to increase the resort’s skiable acreage by approximately 25-30%. The new area will feature a parking lot for 250 cars and a 6-passenger detachable high-speed chair lift. The additional acreage will be built on the north facing slope of Hunter Mountain, between the Main Face and the West Side, and will be predominantly intermediate terrain. The access to the new lift and slopes will be from Rt. 23a, just west of Hunter. In the beginning there will be temporary food facilities and restrooms for guests. The company’s goal is to complete the project in time for the 2018-2019 ski season. The expansion is expected to cost approximately $9 million and has the potential to generate $1.5 million to $2 million in incremental earnings per year.

Belleayre Mountain Projects On 12/30/17, thunder roared as the new Catskill Thunder Gondola made its first official turns of the 2017-2018 season at Belleayre. A big thank you went out to Governor Cuomo and everyone else involved in making this project a reality. They were all super stoked for the big day!! Catskill Thunder officially started loading passengers at 9:37am. Other Mountain News: The trail crews have been busy welding and replacing the snowmaking lines on Winnisook, Tongora and Yahoo. Additional low energy guns will be purchased which will allow them to run more guns at once and pump more water onto the trails, using fewer resources. Trail maintenance crews have also started to widen the lower section of Deer Run. Educationally First: There are a number of advantages of being in region 6, one of which is the large and diversified menu of events scheduled in our area. One of the premier events scheduled in our region is the Level III Skiing and Level III Teaching College (Feb 26-Mar 2). Whether you ski, ride or coach, take advantage of the great curriculum offered. Visit the web site, check out the SnowPro or look at a poster in your local Snow Sports School. See you at an event. Second: Our eastern and national websites offer some great tools for our growth and advancement in our profession. Items such as the Matrix and the Kid’s Cube can be used on the hill or in the classroom. Check them out… Third: If you are planning on taking the Level II or Level III teaching exams this season, please refer to the Fall 2017 Snow Pro article that details the exam changes. Meetings and Events Joan Heaton and I had our first of many Regional meetings at Thunder Ridge. Even though there was no snow on the ground at the time, it didn’t dampen the attendance and enthusiasm of the participants. Many great ideas have been suggested by the membership. These ideas will be compiled from all of our meetings and presented to the proper channels. One of our next meetings scheduled will be at West Mountain on March 14th at 4:30pm. Invited to attend are Sean Warman, head of West Mountains Racing Program and our own Executive Director, Michael Mendrick. If you would like to schedule a meeting or impromptu session, please reach out to one of us. Plattekill Mountain will be holding their 6th annual Telefest on March 2nd, with lots of clinics, equipment demos, and discounted tickets for freeheelers. Regional Director: Joan Heaton jeheaton@optonline.net Regional Representative: Charlie Knopp cknopp23@gmail.com

>> around the regions, continued

Region 7 Report (States south of NJ & PA) By Paul Crenshaw Region 7 Representative

hat a great start to the winter season in Region 7. All the web sites and web cams I’ve looked at are showing most, if not all, slopes open and the snow guns are really making a lot of snow. This might be a start to a record breaking season for many resorts. On December 2, 2017, Walter Jaeger and I traveled to Black Bear Resort Lodge near Timberline Resort in West Virginia to present Bobby and Annie Snyder a Regional Recognition Award for their 2 decades of service to snow sports education and dedication to PSIA-AASI programs and members. The Snyder’s retired from running the snow sports school at Timberline Resort and the event was hosted by many of their friends and staff who

have worked with them for many, many years. It was a wonderful event and Walter and I were so fortunate to have been included in it. If you haven’t registered for an educational event yet, you really should start looking. Our division always offers excellent events in all disciplines. Start preparing for that next certification level by taking a prerequisite or other event in an area you need some help with. Remember the 3-week deadline before the start of all events. Massanutten Resort, where I teach, was listed in the NSAA Journal, Fall 2017 edition as one of the two new resorts joining the 12% of 107 responding resorts to a member survey that are using reclaimed water for snowmaking. Our resort has always been “water poor” so this addition to our water supply has already proven one of the best investments our management could have made. Also at Massanutten Resort this season we introduced a new program called Mini-Riders. My Snowboard Coordinator put together this program,

which allows children from ages 4 - 6 to participate in a Snowboard Program with a maximum of 3 students per instructor. The participation and response from parents and students has really been dynamic and we sell out almost every day. This season we plan to hold our Regional Meeting at Canaan Valley in West Virginia on February 5. This meeting will follow the first day of events at the resort. We hope you can attend and bring any questions you might have. Walter and I would like to share changes, improvements and additions at other resorts throughout the year. Please send items to share with your fellow members in Region 7 and all regions in our division to one of the e-mail addresses below. I hope your season is and continues to be wonderful. Paul Crenshaw, Region 7 Representative pcrenshaw@massresort.com Walter Jaeger, Region 7 Director wjaeger1@mac.com <<

Regions 1 and 2 Board of Directors Election Voting Rules, Instructions and Candidate Profiles

here are two (2) candidates running for the PSIA/AASI Eastern Board of Directors in Region 1 (ME, NH) and three (3) candidates running in Region 2 (VT). The Board candidate receiving the most votes in each region is elected the Regional Director; the candidate with the second-most votes will be elected the Regional Representative (within compliance of the association bylaws provisions relative to Board elections). The threeyear Board terms will commence April 1, 2018 and end on March 31, 2021. No write-in votes for any positions are accepted. Only one candidate identified as an Education Staff Employee may be elected in each region per the Eastern Division Bylaws. Voting for the 2018 election will take place online via electronic voting on a secure, dedicated web page. Paper ballots will be provided only to members without online access, upon request. Online voting will begin in mid-January and end on March 16, 2018. Official results will be announced by March 20, 2018 via broadcast e-mail, the division website, Facebook and Twitter accounts and subsequently via the SnowPro.. The terms of the new Board members will begin on April 1, 2018, providing the opportunity for newly elected representatives to communicate with constituents prior to the June 2018 Board meeting. To Vote: 1. Link to our special PSIA-AASI Eastern Board Elections website at www.psia-e.org/vote 2. Log in to the site using your assigned voting username and password (different from your PSIA-AASI login). An e-mail with instructions will be sent out to all eligible voters when the voting is opened. 3. You must be a member in good standing and affiliated with Region 1 or 2 as of December 31, 2017. 4. Follow the steps at the website to complete your secured voting. Thank you to our candidates and members for your participation in this important annual process. Note: Candidate profiles are presented “as written and submitted” with the exception of spelling corrections, if needed. <<

Call for Regions 1 & 2 Committee Members

he Snowsports School Management Committee Representative, Alpine Education & Certification Representative and Children’s Education Committee positions for Region 1 (NH, ME) and Region 2 (VT) are currently up for a three-year appointment, pending a recommendation from the Regional Director and Board ratification. The PSIA-E Board of Directors will approve the appointment of these positions at their June 2018

meeting. If you are a current member of one of these regions and are interested in being considered as a representative to serve a new (or renewing for existing committee members) three-year term for one of these open positions in your region, please send written notification via e-mail to the attention of Michael Mendrick, Executive Director, at mmendrick@psia-e.org by March 31, 2018. Thanks for your interest in serving your organization! <<

Region 1 Board Candidates Dave Capron — Alpine L3, Telemark L3, CS2 Alpine Examiner – Education Staff Employee Telemark Examiner Training Coordinator Attitash Mountain Resort, NH Background and Qualifications • Member of Gunstock Ski School 1991-1995, Trainer 1993-95 • Member of Attitash Ski and Snowboard School 1995 to present • Attitash Training Coordinator 1999 to present • PSIA Member 1992 to present • Alpine Associate Cert. 1993, Alpine L3 1995 • Telemark L2 1995, Telemark L3 1995 • Alpine Development Team Member 1997-2001 • Telemark Development Team Member 1997-99 • PSIA-E Telemark Examiner 1999 to present • PSIA-E Alpine ETS 2001 • PSIA-E Alpine Examiner 2003 to present • PSIA Eastern Alpine Team Member 2012 • PSIA Eastern Tech Team Member 2015 to present Statement of Philosophy & Direction If elected to the PSIA-E Board of Directors, my ultimate goal is to be the voice of the members of Region 1. I will bring the concerns of Region 1 members to the board including issues with the event schedule, value of membership, educational opportunities, the Public Awareness Campaign, and certification concerns. Work needs to be done positively and collaboratively with the PSIA-E Division office to look at the scheduling and educational opportunities in Region 1 to better serve and educate members. As a member of the Board of Examiners, I travel about 50 days a year to various mountains in the East running clinics and listening to the membership about their concerns. Many of these concerns relate to event scheduling. These concerns are “location of events,” “not enough events in my area” and “event choice variety”. I plan on working with the division office to develop a more membership friendly schedule for the region. I feel that more work needs to be done with ski area management on the value of PSIA/AASI and the value of PSIA/AASI members to their resorts. I would like to see continued collaboration between the Eastern Division and Nick Herrin our national CEO of PSIA to help facilitate this. Creating stronger relationships and communication with senior ski area management will lead PSIA-E to deliver programs that will benefit both members and ski resorts. If we want ski area management to value us, we need to involve them in the process. When it comes to education we must continue to work to elevate the level of our current programs and look for ways to create new educational opportunities. There is a big push nationally to work together with all divisions to better coordinate and share educational projects. This will be something that I will heavily support and work towards so that we continue to deliver educational value to our members. I will continue to work on developing new educational programs such as E-Learning courses and video content through delivery methods of Youtube, Coaches Eye, or other download methods. The “Public Awareness Campaign” is a program that should continue to be developed. It deserves priority and resources because ultimately it helps to better serve our resorts and membership. PSIA/AASI members work

very hard and dedicate hours and money to become highly skilled ski and ride instructors to better serve their students and it is our responsibility to work to let the public know the value of skiing or riding with a certified PSIA/AASI member. If elected to represent Region 1 on the Board of Directors, I will work hard to represent all the disciplines not just alpine. Being a Telemark Examiner since 1999 I understand what it is like to be the little guy next to the big numbers of Alpine. I hope to take this understanding and represent snowboard, nordic disciplines, and adaptive along with alpine members. We are all in this together and need to include everyone in the future. <<

Peter Holland — Alpine L3 Trainer/Instructor at Pats Peak Snowsports School, NH Background and Qualifications • PSIA Member since 1982 • Trainer Pats Peak • Region 1 Representative 2015 – 2018 • PSIA – E BOD and Treasurer • • • • • •

Level 3 Alpine USSA Technical Delegate and Referee USSA Level 100 Coach NH Alpine Racing Assoc. (NHARA) Board of Trustees NHARA Officials Committee NHARA Review and Appeals Committee

Statement of Philosophy and Direction The landscape of PSIA has changed much for the good since I was elected in 2015. Nick Herrin, PSIA National CEO has brought much to the table since he took office in 2106 resulting in a much more unified and focused organization. All the divisions are pulling in the same direction and we are beginning to make a dent in the long list of to do’s that we have all talked about for many years but not accomplished. I believe we are better equipped than ever to take on the many challenges we as a professional organization face and to better represent and serve you, the membership. As a representative for Region One my responsibility is to listen to you and to bring your thoughts, ideas and recommendations to our Eastern Division Board. Peter Howard and I have held Regional Meeting twice a season for the past three years. We do learn a lot from those meetings so it is important that as many of you as possible attend. In addition, I do visit a number of schools in our region in an effort to learn more about what you are thinking. I try to make myself as accessible as possible by email and by cell, so do not hesitate to contact me anytime. As far as specific topics are concerned, here are some of my thoughts concerning our efforts and programs going forward. 1. Retention of Members and Gaining New Members: Our Eastern membership numbers have remained basically static. We have a number of members who will be aging out over the next five years. We are not getting a lot of new young members as that generation has other interests and we as an organization don’t seem to have a program that appeals to them. In addition, we lose members to their college years, to marriage and to raising a family. While we have made it easier to put your membership on hold and easier to get back in after dropping your membership, we need to do more and are working on programs to attract young people. I also am a great proponent of our Ed Staff getting out and not only spending time with us as members but most importantly with perspective new members. They are a great and talented group and we need to use them a lot more for selling our organization.

14 2. Being able to pay PSIA dues in monthly or quarterly basis : This has long been sought after by the Eastern Office. It now looks like such a program will be instituted in 2019. Michael Mendrick has been a longtime advocate of this and he has worked with National to get this instituted. This may well help in retaining members. There is nothing worse, especially for the college students having to come up with $135 in June when the last thing on their mind is skiing. In my own mind, it might be easier and more widely accepted if dues were payable in September or October when we might at least start thinking of skiing or riding. I am an advocate for that change. 3. The National Organization is working hard to gain more recognition by Ski Area Management on a country wide basis: PSIA definitely serves a very important purpose in its role as both instructors and as ambassadors of the sport. The goal is not only safety, fun and learning but getting first timers to come back and getting people to take up skiing and riding as a lifelong sport. We all need to work with Ski Area Management to demonstrate our relevance to this process. Nick Herrin, our CEO, along many others including our Eastern Staff are working hard at this. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO US ALL. 4. Working to make the road to certification easier and less costly: By easier I do not mean changing the standards in any way but changing the requirement for prerequisites which could shorten the exam process as with CS1 and CS2 for level 2 and level 3 certifications. From a National perspective, there is work being done to make exam processes more standardized. While all divisions adhere to the National Standards, the processes greatly differ in the days and prerequisites required. We are working to narrow that gap. 5. Seeking a closer relationship with USSA: Both PSIA and USSA have a lot to offer each other and I am hoping that we do more in the future to work with coaches and USSA to help each other. We just had our eleventh NH / PSIA Coaches Clinic at Bretton woods on 12/7 and 8. That event is staffed by Eastern Examiners and we had 121 coaches attend this year. We need more of this interaction as we can learn from each other. I want to thank you for your support over the past three years. I have immensely enjoyed serving on the Eastern Board and have learned a lot. It has been a very positive experience. I can tell you that both the Eastern Staff and the Eastern Board work very hard to both represent and serve you. We may not always have the answers you are looking for but there is no lack of effort in trying to meet the needs and desires of you the members. I hope you will consider me to be the Region 1 Director for the next three years. Thank you, Peter Holland <<

Region 2 Board Candidates Ted Fleischer – Snowboard L3, Alpine L2 AASI Examiner – Education Staff Employee Ski and Ride Trainer and Instructor at Jay Peak, VT Background & Qualifications Hi. My name is Ted. I’m like you, an entertainer. I get paid to play. We spend a large majority of life sliding down a frozen hill, thinking about sliding down a frozen hill, and showing others how to slide down a frozen hill …as gracefully as possible within the whims of gravity.

We all know why. You did this to me. You showed me how to have FUN. THANK YOU! In addition to 8 years in PA and CO, I’ve worked as a full-time Instructor, Trainer and Supervisor at Vermont resorts for nearly 25 years. With your help, I became a Level I member (1989), achieved Alpine Level II(1992), Snowboard Level III(1992), joined the AASI Educational Staff as an Examiner(1994), and was wizened by an unsuccessful attempt at the AASI National Team(2000). I’m a full-time Instructor and the Training Supervisor for the Jay Peak Ski & Ride School. I have been a member of the AASI Steering Committee since its inception in the early 90’s. As Chair of that committee I also have a seat on the PSIA/AASI Umbrella Steering Committee. For 6 years I served as our Eastern Division’s AASI Advisor coordinating schedules and events for the Eastern Divisions Snowboard community. For the last 3 years I’ve been serving my elected term, at your pleasure, as the Director for Region 2(VT). During my current term I’ve been an active member of the Finance Committee and the Governance Committee. I’ve also been involved with the focus group that was held in Spring of 2017 that looked at what members such as yourself needed and wanted from our organization. Because of my experience as the AASI Advisor, Region 2 Director, fulltime Ski & Ride School Trainer, and the many, frequent, interactions I have with other members, I have intimate understanding of what many members throughout our region feel is important and needed from the leaders of our organization. My experiences working at small Mom and Pop hills, as well as World-Class Destination resorts provides with me an understanding and perspective on our industry that I’m very grateful for. I’m intimately aware of the struggles and triumphs of instructors and managers in the full spectrum of schools within our division and region. I also interact regularly with upper management at various resorts within our region. I would like to continue to represent you as a member and continue the progress I’ve helped with over my current term. Please re-elect me as the Region 2 Director. Thank you. Statement of Philosophy & Direction I’ve been learning the best practices of our crazy sport and sharing this FUN with others. Thanks to my first Snowsports Director, and also that new Instructor in the Level I exam, and thanks to the guy who was on the chairlift with me for the last 8 minutes, …I’ve been learning from you and stealing your shtick. To pay the FUN forward, I’m offering up my experiences, philosophy, and what I’ve learned from everyone, to you …Member to Member. I would like to continue to serve on the Board of Directors for PSIA/AASI. Crazy, right? A desk job? A VOLUNTARY desk job? Yes. I feel I can help us all achieve an EXPERIENCE that is even more FUN and valuable. My philosophy is simple… in addition to making sure that you and our resort guests get their money’s worth out of our organization and industry, I want to take FUN to that next level. I want our EXPERIENCE to be life changing. I will continue to support the Push for Public Awareness program that many members have agreed is important to them and I will continue to look for ways in which we can increase the brand awareness of PSIA/AASI. I will work very hard to help develop our organization in the veins of our industry in which we currently are lacking, namely Freestyle and Free-ski/ride. I will campaign for a recurring billing cycle instead of such a large dues bill in June. As a member of our Finance Committee, I will help continue our philosophy of fiscal responsibility that the Eastern Division has led with, and I will strive to get our National organization to work just as hard for us. For the sake of our Members, our Organization, and our Industry, we must find a way to make sure that those who we interact with feel that the EXPERIENCE they have is spectacular! We need to have our Resort Guests dreaming of when they can come back, we need to have our Membership Guests

15 yearning for more, and we need to have Resort Management realizing that due to their Guests demands, they need to hire and support more Certified Instructors. We can do this if we all choose to raise the bar together. We have a great life. Let’s not lose sight of that! However, I also feel we have room for growth, growth as Individuals, growth as Instructors, growth as an Organization, and growth as an Industry. I can help keep us on track and help lead us beyond. Thank-you for your consideration. Ted <<

Katherine MacLauchlan – Alpine L3 Snowsports Manager, Pico Mountain, VT Background & Qualifications • Incumbent representative for region two. Former Executive Committee member (secretary and treasurer), actively involved in the Affiliation Agreement negotiations and governance changes. • Manager of a small snow sports program with lofty goals and a small budget. • Leadership consultant and presenter – our industry needs strong, educated and professional leadership to compete with other industries. • Small business owner, Jill of all trades and mom- I have a depth and breadth of experience and knowledge that is well suited to push our organization towards the future. Statement of Philosophy & Direction I’ve been teaching skiing for twenty years. Throughout this time, I’ve developed an understanding of the various facets of the industry. From working on the line in below zero temperatures, to growing Pico’s school programs from one school of 30 kids to 12 schools and over 400 kids in two years – I’ve done it all. I’ve made my career and am raising my family in this industry. I believe we’re here to teach people to ski and snowboard, not teach skiing and snowboarding. For years, PSIA and AASI have done a great job developing the technical skills and knowledge to teach skiing and snowboarding – it’s time to shift the focus to the people. I’m encouraged by the changes we’ve seen from the national organization, but believe we need to continue to advocate for more relevant educational experiences and flexible ways for newer and younger members to stay connected. I’m really looking forward to our partnership with Penn State to develop educational materials and opportunities that are relevant inside and outside our industry. As a digital native, I believe there are opportunities for growth through innovative use of technology and opportunities for efficiency through similar channels. As our guests and members continue to seek connections to a greater purpose while looking to reduce our impact on the earth, it’s time to re-examine our processes and modernize. As an industry, we need to stay relevant – we need to adapt to the way things are, not hold fast to the way they’ve always been. We’ve laid a great foundation – it’s time to build the house. In a way, I don’t represent the industry or the organization. I’m young. I’m a woman. I’ve managed to stay in the game for a long time. These are exactly the reasons why I’m running for this board. We need more of me. To lead and preserve the industry, we need the next generation to step up - so gang, let’s do it. <<

Richard Paret – Alpine L1, CS2 Staff Instructor at Killington, VT Background & Qualifications I have been a member of PSIA-AASI for over 20 years. I have served on the Board of Directors representing Region 3 and the scholarship awards committee. I have been an area representative and currently serve on the membership and promotions committee. Statement of Philosophy & Direction At some point you chose to become a snowsports instructor. You joined others who were passionate about sliding on snow and who wanted to share that experience and encourage a lifelong love of skiing and riding. You made that choice, and each year you make another - to be a member of PSIA-AASI. This choice is unique to each of us whether we join for the educational opportunities or camaraderie, for skill and knowledge advancement, or industry recognition. I hope to represent you on the Eastern Division Board from Region 2 so the choice to be part of PSIA-AASI is an easy one year after year. I want you to know that you are being well represented, that your thoughts about the organization are heard, and that you are getting information and feedback about where PSIA-AASI is headed and what they are doing for you. Ultimately, I want to represent you and other Region 2 instructors to make sure you find value in your membership. In my time as a PSIA instructor I have seen that the Eastern Board is truly member based and member focused. They continue to build an even greater value for us and work for our common goals and interests. I hope to join them and focus on the following: • Strongly support the ability to pay dues by monthly payments from your checking account/credit card rather than the current lump sum payment. • Develop a larger scholarship fund to help each of you that need it meet your educational goals and responsibilities for membership. • Grow events for all of our represented demographics so we can keep our membership active and inspired. We can work to provide more weekend, super week, and evening events to help instructors balance instructing and life with training. We can also develop more specialized events for women, our 25-35 year old members and master teachers. • Promote the Make Winter More Fun campaign. I believe in promoting this web site more; both for the public as an informational site and for you to promote yourself as a PSIA-AASI member. We need to work to make sure the public knows the value of PSIA- AASI instructors. We make winter more fun for the public taking lessons at our mountains and for the instructors in our snowsports school who we share our knowledge with and inspire to join PSIA-AASI • Connect with you. A Region 2 Board position is a very important role and should not be taken lightly. It demands a great deal of time to properly represent you. I will proactively keep you informed of what’s happening so you reap the benefits of your membership. I love to share information and answer emails and will be happy to assist you with any information you may need about your membership in the Eastern Division and your National membership. I encourage you to reach out and share your questions, insights, and opinions. Choose me for the Eastern Division Board from Region 2 and then share why you make the choice to be a PSIA-AASI instructor. Please cast your vote to return me to the Board and first chair to last, and even après, I will work to represent you. See you on the snow! Dick Paret, dickparet@gmail.com Stockbridge, VT (802) 729-0077 <<

Education Foundation News New Rick Metcalf “Aspiring Ed Staff” Scholarship Fund Exceeds Goal Grassroots fundraising effort by generous members and ed staff raises more than $11,000

ast October, the Eastern Board of Directors approved the creation of the Rick Metcalf “Aspiring Ed Staff” Scholarship Fund. The goal is to honor Rick, recognize the efforts of members that want to pay tribute to him and utilize a portion of the fund to support ed staff prospects that demonstrate both strong potential and definitive financial need in attending events and tryouts related to earning a spot on the Eastern Division Alpine Development Team and Examiner Training Squad. We are pleased to report that thanks to the generous donations of members throughout the fall (as documented in the fall 2017 SnowPro) and to more recent donations and deferrals of expenses by our Alpine Education Staff members the Rick Metcalf Scholarship Fund has raised a total of $11,787. That is more than $1,500 over the initial goal of $10,000. Bravo and thank you to the following members for donations since November 1, 2017: Evelyn Trebilcock Stephen Sheehy Chester Paradise Richard Donahue Jr. Richard Scarpignato Thank you to the generous members of our Alpine Education Staff for deferring their expenses into a donation to the Metcalf fund as well! Allison Clayton-Cummings Lani Tapley Bill Beerman Lisa Segal Bob Shostek Matt Dembinski Brian McVicker Matt Ellis Charlie Knopp Mickey Sullivan Chris Dayton Pam Greene Chris Eseppi Pete Howard Doug Hammond Phil Brown Ellen Garrett Rick Downing Eric Jordan Rick Svencer Gail Setlock Steve Moore Hayden McLaughlin Sue Kramer Jason Audette Terry Barbour Jes Stith Tim Thompson Jim Pottinger Tom Bird Ken Sauer Troy Walsh << Kristi Robertson

kids, kids, kids Children’s Academy 2017 By Jack Jordan Staff Trainer, Belleayre Mountain

would like to thank the Scholarship Committee and the Eastern Board of Directors for providing me with the opportunity to participate in the Children’s Academy at Mt. Snow, in December. Everything about the event proved to be a very positive experience. From Jeb Boyd’s key note address, to the outstanding clinics and seminars, I gained much from the entire experience. I acquired a wealth of information to be shared with our staff at Belleayre Mountain. I especially enjoyed the clinics led by Dave Capron and Sue Kramer. The stories surrounding the awards to the Area Representatives and the two School Directors were entertaining. The staff at Mt. Snow was as always, welcoming, accommodating, and exceptionally friendly. The snow conditions were exceptional on Tuesday, despite the rain. I would like to extend a special thanks to Mount Snow Ski Patrol member Cal from Deadwood, ND. He saved my life, well not exactly, but certainly the life of my helmet. After the rain on Tuesday night, we awakened to windy conditions with extra firm snow. After exiting the bubble enclosed 6 pack lift, I took my helmet off to adjust my goggles. A gust of wind caught the helmet and before I could react, it took off down a closed, snowless trail. I thought about going after it, but due to a recently replaced knee and the steepness of the slope, my wife strongly discouraged me from attempting to do so. This is where Patroller Cal came to the rescue. He dropped down over the edge and disappeared on foot in pursuit of the runaway helmet. It took some time but eventually he emerged over the peak of the trail with my slightly scarred lid. He saved the day and the helmet, and I was extremely thankful. This is a fine example of the Mount Snow staff going above and beyond, and in this case, way above and beyond. All in all, it was a great few days and a super way to kick off the season. Thanks again. <<

Children’s Academy Raffle Donations By Michael Mendrick Executive Director

hanks to the following individuals for their generous contributions to the Children’s Academy Raffle that in December raised a record amount of $2,537 to support the Terry Fund scholarships for children’s education events. That is more than TRIPLE the average annual total thanks to the generosity of PSIA AASI Eastern members attending both the Children’s Academy and Snowsports School Management Conference this week at Mount Snow. Congratulations to Chairperson Sue Kramer and the Children’s Committee and a HUGE thank you to Raffle Chair Steve McGrath! • Shelley Ochterski, Peek ‘n Peak Snowsports School • Ross Boisvert, McIntyre Ski Area • Bonnie Ricker, Jay Peak Snowsports School • Jane Moyer, Blue Mountain Snowsports School • Shane Erickson, Stratton Mountain Sports School • Jeff McKinney, Greek Peak Snowsports School • Peter Jucker, Gatlinburg Snowsports Center • Dawn Jucker, Gatlinburg Snowsports Center • Richard “Bear” Judkins, Yawgoo Valley Snowsports School • Susan Urbanczyk, PSIA National Director of Membership Marketing and Communications • Patricia Rau, Mountain Creek Ski and Snowboard School • Eric Gerhartz, Camelback Snowsports School • Jack Jordan, Belleayre Snowsports School • Regina McCarthy Warren, Stratton Mountain Sports School • Denis Donnelly, Kissing Bridge Snowsports School • Joe Hazard, Greek Peak Snowsports School • Karl Oppenheimer, Kildonan Snowsports School • Tim Leach, HoliMont Snowsports School • Alison Cummings, Stratton Mountain Sports School <<

xx-ploring Nordic Review … Winter is Here By Mickey Stone PSIA-E Nordic Coordinator

he Nordic Discipline has had a great start to the season. If we get snow on the ground, most of our worries are taken care of. Our early season cross-country events have had record numbers. We would like to thank Lapland Lakes in NY and their owners for their support in training their entire staff, preseason, with our examiners Randy French and Julie West. Our Instructor Training Course at Bretton Woods Nordic Center had 12 participants for three days, reviewing and developing beginner to advanced teaching content in both classic and skate skiing. Great job Mike Innes and Mark Lacek from the Nordic staff. Finally, we are having a Level I at Garnet Hill in New York which has been a long-time supporter and is also the sight of an actual garnet mine. We would also like to recognize Mike Innes of Bretton Woods who represented PSIA-AASI Eastern at the Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) Conference in November. The conference was held at Pineland Farms in Maine. The CCSAA conference brings together owners and operators of cross country ski resorts for discussion about best practices and statistics and offers a chance to listen to relevant speakers. Suppliers of equipment and gear were on hand for two days as well. Roger Lohr, who assists in writing and advertising for CCSAA, has given us his top 7 reasons to try Cross Country skiing this winter. Maybe it’s for you! Top 7 Reasons to Try Cross Country Skiing this Winter You care about fitness – Cross-country skiing is the #1 aerobic exercise to burn calories, improve circulation, and lower blood pressure. Every muscle group is used, and it is low risk and non-jarring. Don’t hibernate during winter – Get outdoors during the winter because it’s a great elixir for mind, spirit, and body. It has also been found that crosscountry skiing can help combat depression and anxiety. There are plenty of places to do it – There are more than 500 XC ski areas with groomed trails in the US and Canada. Such ski areas charge low access fees and provide safe signed trails. Also, in the backcountry, freedom, individuality, and challenges await cross-country skiers. Cross Country Skiing is a lifetime sport that won’t take a lifetime to learn and master – A lesson or two at a cross-country ski area is all it takes to get the basics of cross-country skiing. If you find that it is too much for you, check out snowshoeing instead. Romantic interlude – A day of Cross Country Skiing followed by a little candlelight, a gourmet meal and a few nights at a classic inn, guest ranch, bed and breakfast, or grand hotel can rekindle the romance. You’re never too young or too old for cross country skiing – Families, even children as young as 2 or 3, can glide together and older skiers can go at their own pace for as long or short as they wish. Cross country ski equipment has dramatically improved – It’s lightweight and easy to maneuver to provide a stable comfortable ride. Try a set of rental equipment for about $20 or purchase a mid-range package of skis, boots and poles for about $350. Info provided by Roger Lohr of www.XCSkiResorts.com and @XCSkiTravel on Twitter, and SnoCountry.com SnoNews Cross Country News & Information, www.facebook.com/xcskiresorts/. On the Telemark side, we have done very well too. Sunday River and Seven Springs Early Season Primers have both had one full group on early-season snow. Seven Springs had a little help from “Mother Nature” and received 10 inches of new snow for the event this week. There was powder in the South, awesome!!! The Mini Academy led by newly elevated examiner, Ali Pirnar, braved the week-

end cold at Killington for a Skiing Improvement clinic. Finally, Karen Dalury and Mickey Stone guided 18 participants in the Tele Pro Jam. We even received new snow at Killington which made the week even more fun. The brown snow of two years ago was also fun, but this was much easier to slide on. We would like to thank the Sunday River Masters Academy participants who assisted the Nords in celebrating the Norse god, Ullr, and braving the -2 degrees and 30 mile an hour winds for our famous Norwegian Party. A special call out to Mr. and Mrs. John Mann. Four bottles of Aquavit were utilized to make this celebration a new record!!! In all of these events, the Telemark staff introduced the new Fundamental diagram that we tweaked in November at the fall conference.

Tele Fundamental Diagram

Each year we dedicate an award to someone who has dedicated himself or herself to the sport that really originated all of skiing, Telemarking. We do it in memory and honor of one of the most dedicated, nicest, funniest, flirtiest Norwegian men we know, Kare Andersen of Bromley. Although he passed away three years ago, he had been a leader in telemarking and had helped to usher in our sport to the racing and off-piste fields. This year’s Kare Andersen Award went to Paul Paffendorf. Paul started telemarking on some of my “hand me down gear” about 15 years ago when he was just 65 years old and has never looked back. Retired, and along with his wife of over 40 years, Paul travels the world on a sailboat and lives to ski all winter. He has helped us out financially with our Norwegian parties and sponsored National Demo Team Tryout candidates. Congratulations Paul and here’s to another 15 years of Telemarking!

Paul Paffendorf receives the Kare Andersen award at the ProJam Banquet from Eastern Nordic Coordinator Mickey Stone.

Enjoy 2018 everyone and come on out and try a Nordic Event and get the “experience of a lifetime.” <<

19 Winter 2018 – SnowPro

absolutely aasi Whose lesson is it anyway? By Greg Fatigate PSIA-AASI Eastern Examiner AASI Development Team and ETS Coach

ach season I am inspired by a quote, phrase, or idea that shapes my teaching methodology. This season it happens to be a phrase that was spoken by a friend of mine who is a long-time instructor, Oliver Blackman. “There cannot be a solution until there is a [student’s] perception of a problem.” Consider a few examples of this: • The beginner 9-year-old who has no desire to turn, and just wants to go straight • The novice who only rides their heel edge • The intermediate who has no interest in steep and/or bumpy terrain In all cases, I could make a compelling argument that the example rider needs to work on turning, or toe edge, or getting squishy for bump riding. The problem is that would be MY GOAL for them, and that does not address what THEIR desires, goals and aspirations are. Their desires and goals are central to PSIA/AASI’s Learning Connection Model. In the examples above, there is no perception of a problem, and thus no solutions are needed. So, what do you as an instructor do here? The dare-devil beginner 9-year-old who has no desire to turn, and just wants to go straight If you’ve been an instructor for more than a few minutes, you’ve experienced some version of this kiddo. The moment you start in on “turning” and “control” this kid says “I’m bored! Can we just go to the top?” As an advocate of safety, you say “No way!” This child has no idea the perils that could await him by going to the top. What you need to do is lead this child to the idea that turning and slowing down is a solution to an issue, all the while doing so safely! Does this little dare-devil want to hit an appropriately sized jump? How about if you then build a second jump after the first one that requires a slight turn to navigate to? In this brief example, the dare-devil child, motivated by the second jump, now sees that he has a problem: he cannot turn and navigate effectively to the second jump. Your opportunity to provide a solution has presented itself!

The novice heel-edge hero who only rides their heel edge This rider (or some metaphorical version) shows up often. They are super balanced on their heel edge, can ride the chair lift, and can make it anywhere. Typically, when asked “are you regular or goofy?” they reply proudly, “I’m both!” Usually they say they are too scared of their toe edge, and the heel side works just fine. In their mind, there is no problem. They are out snowboarding and having a fine time, thank-you-very-much. You must lead this horse to the toe-edge-water on their own accord. So, why not embrace their heel edge mastery? Couldn’t the focus be to get them RIPPING on their heel edge? I’m talking dynamic falling leaves, heel edge jumps, and pivoty-pivot slips? Once loose and engaged, maybe try a straight glide into a flat-spin 360? Uh-oh, that 360 requires a slight bit of toe-edge work! They could go two ways here. Way one is: “nope, I told you I don’t do toe edge, so no 360’s” in which case you adjust and go back to embracing heel edge mastery. Way two: (which happens more often than not) is that they now have the perception of a problem. They NEED the toe edge, even just a flash of it, for the 360. Your opportunity to provide a solution has presented itself! The intermediate who has no interest in steep and/or bumpy terrain Depending on how often you get intermediate lessons, this rider shows up, too. They like those blue groomers and they are good at it! This rider is well balanced with bent knees. It just so happens they aren’t actively BENDING their knees and joints. For what this person likes to ride, this works just fine. How do we get this rider to find interest in getting a bit “squishier”? Can you safely, and without embarrassing the student, dial up the terrain challenge? Perhaps you could get playful on the embankments to the side of the groomers. Perhaps you could find a mellow little ledge to ride off. As you take on this riding behavior, maybe your student tries too. As you do a few more fun little paths like this and the challenge is gently dialed up, perhaps the student asks, “How do you do that so smoothly?” or, “You know, my kid rides these little side trail paths too. How can I do this without crashing?” Active knee bending is right around the corner, and with the fun of the side trails, perhaps spicier ungroomed terrain is ondeck. It is not lost on me that there are several potential pit-falls to the above examples that I’ve summed up in a few paragraphs. Maybe the daredevil is only interested in speed, maybe the heel edge hero isn’t interested in the reindeer games you present, and maybe the intermediate never follows you. The solutions to the examples aren’t

the point (although in my experience, they work). The examples listed above are typically the hardest nuts to crack. The point is that “There cannot be a solution until there is a [student’s] perception of a problem.” We must connect with our students and listen to their goals and ambitions to find out what THEY want to do. From there we ride and lead them through interesting riding activities related to their goals. In this way we lead the “horse” to water until the perception of a problem reveals itself. The door labeled “solution” is now open. <<

Eastern AASI Update By Brian Donovan – AASI Advisor

t’s that time of year again…Now that we’re into the middle of winter, it’s time to decide on which event(s) you plan to attend this season. Here are some Dos and Don’ts when it comes to selecting events from the AASI Event Schedule to attend this year: Do: • Do take the time to determine your personal goals for this season and beyond. Which events can help you achieve your goals? Are you currently focused on taking a certification exam? Check out the Exam Prep events or any of the exam pre-requisites on the Event Schedule. Are you currently looking to improve your freestyle riding and coaching skills? Check out one of our freestyle camps or Freestyle Specialist events. Are you currently looking for a fun and social event with a loose format focused around lots of riding on amazing terrain? Check out Trees Camp at Jay Peak or Spring Rally at Sugarbush. • Do recruit friends from your Ride School to attend an event with you. Keep travel and lodging costs at a minimum by splitting the costs with some friends. You can also take advantage of some of the mega event weeks with multiple events scheduled during the same days at one resort location. Travelling to the same destination for different events can keep travel and lodging costs at a minimum for your group. • Do try something new. Don’t just sign up for the same event that you always attend. Explore all of the event listings on the Event Schedule and pick a new event topic that will help you achieve your goal(s). • Do pick a host mountain that you haven’t ridden at, and see if they are hosting any events that will help you work towards your goal(s). It’s always fun to explore new mountains, and there’s never a better excuse than when you can take an educational event, meet some new friends, and get the opportunity to explore a new mountain all at the same time.

>> absolutely aasi, continued

• D o show up to the event on Day 1 and communicate to the AASI-E Ed Staff member what your goals are. Make sure that you communicate what you’ve been working on and what you’re hoping to get out of the event. Creating an open dialogue with the AASI-E Ed Staff member will generate an environment to set you up to receive timely and relevant feedback as you work towards your goals. • Do completely check in. Be present and live in the moment. Leave the stress of your everyday life at home and completely check in to your event. Submerse yourself in riding and teaching for the duration of the event. Enjoy yourself. Don’t: • Don’t sign up for an event simply because it is hosted at the mountain where you work. A huge benefit of being an AASI member is the

fact that the host resorts donate lift tickets for the days that you are attending events. Get out and experience some new terrain at a new resort with no added cost to you. • Don’t sign up for an event simply because your friends are signing up for that event. In order to ensure that you and the other attendees get the most out of the experience, do not simply sign up because your friends do. Perform an honest self-assessment, determine where you are at in your personal development, and sign up for something that will challenge you and give you an opportunity to grow personally. • Don’t sign up for an event on the Event Schedule that has a specific focus (E.g. Level 2 Exam Prep, Teaching Concepts, etc.) and then show up wanting the event to cater to a different topic or agenda. The AASI-E Ed Staff member

running the event will do his/her best to meet everyone’s needs, but it’s selfish to attempt to change the focus of the event away from what the intended focus was. Most likely, others signed up because of the name/topic on the Event Schedule, and you don’t want to ruin that for others in the group. • Don’t forget to bring lots of layering pieces, extra socks, multiple pairs of gloves/mittens, goggles, and spare laces (both internal and external) for your boots. Nothing will ruin your event quicker than if you don’t have the proper gear to be able to enjoy yourself. Let’s have a great winter together. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about the events that are currently on the 20172018 Event Schedule. <<

>> Cover story (Franz Krickl, Tony Keller Honored), continued

One staff member summed it up this way: “Without a doubt the best director/ manager I have ever worked for in my entire life and 35 year career as a Professional Instructor. Franz represents all we are and all we could hope to be.” Another wrote, “Franz Krickl, born and raised on skis in Austria, understands skiing deeply, but more than that he understands people. He leads rather than manages his staff, allowing for creativity, innovation, and also - a few mistakes. He is willing to allow for these mistakes that then need to be transformed into deeper learning, to keep the culture vibrant and fresh. Franz stands strong, fighting for his teachers and, ultimately, for the culture of skiing itself. After tributes, toasts (and a bit of roasts) were offered to Franz by Windham staffers (and Eastern ed staff members) Ned Crossley and Mermer Blakelee the audience of nearly 300 at the Snowsports School Management Seminar banquet at Mount Snow, VT rose to their feet in an affectionate standing ovation for Franz. That Windham Mountain CEO, Chip Sieman and CFO Larry Bloom made the trip from Windham to Mount Snow was further testament to the appreciation, respect and love that the Windham Mountain community feels for Franz.

Ron Kubicki Staff Appreciation Award 2017 Honoree – Tony Keller, Camelback Mountain Resort, PA

he Ron Kubicki Staff Appreciation Award began in 2015 (first honoree – Susan Smoll of Bear Creek, PA) and recognizes a snowsports school director that has demonstrated support and advocacy for his or her staff and has earned tremendous respect, admiration and loyalty from their school staff members. In 2016 we honored Debbie Goslin, Snowsports School Director at Kissing Bridge, NY. The 2017 honoree was Tony Keller of Camelback Mountain Resort, PA. Tony has served in a number of capacities at Camelback since January of 1999. He worked his way up via the tubing operation, the rental operation, as an instructor in the Snowsports school before moving on to supervisor, Assistant Director and at the ripe old age of 30 – the Director of the Snowsports School. If that’s not enough, he also is involved in the management of the huge outdoor waterpark

Camelback (PA) Snowsports School Director Tony Keller with Children’s Supervisor Danya Jazenback and Eastern Alpine Examiner and Camelback staff trainer Mark Absalom.

operation at Camelback in the summer months. A very impressive 23 individual staff from Camelback submitted supporting nominations for Tony. Here is what some of them had to say in their nomination forms: “Tony is one of those rare leaders who combines love and encouragement for his staff, a fully open door and a consistent drive for perfection. I’ve had many bosses is my 40+ years of working for many employers and Tony is THE best one I’ve ever had.” “Tony appreciates his staff. He works tirelessly to promote and grow the school. He really sees the value that PSIA and AASI have on the school and recruits all new instructors to get involved. He promotes training like no other resort in Pa. He brings a great vibe in the locker room that makes everyone want to do their best each and every lesson.” Congratulations and thank you to Franz Krickl and Tony Keller for their decades of dedication to their school staff, Snowsports education, PSIA-AASI and resort guests from near and far! <<

adaptive airtime Accreditation Questions Answered By Kathy Chandler Adaptive Advisor

e have received a number of questions about our new Adaptive Accreditation system and I would like to take a moment to address these questions and concerns. This new accreditation process was created with the intention of making pursuing adaptive credentials more accessible to more members. When creating this new process, we tried hard to think through all the scenarios we might encounter, but of course there are always situations that are unexpected and your questions are helping us to streamline the process and see things we did not anticipate. Please keep the questions and concerns coming our way. If you can’t get one of the Adaptive Board of Examiners directly, call the Eastern office and they will get to us. Passing a Level I Adaptive Exam in one of the specialty disciplines, which are Visual Impairments and Cognitive Disorders, Three and Four Track skiing, and Mono and Bi skiing is the required first step towards Adaptive Certification. Unlike other disciplines, Adaptive Level I cannot be skipped, regardless of your Alpine Certification level because our Level I exam covers skiing at the Level I standard in addition to teaching and professional knowledge of your chosen discipline. The additional element of understanding the disabilities we teach within the specialties adds more specialized knowledge than is required for an Alpine Level I. This has not changed, and remains the same as previous years. New this year are 1-day accreditations to evaluate your skills at an individual discipline. If a candidate does not have their Alpine Level II or III, the first accreditation they must take is skiing fundamentals. When you go to the accreditation days, you will most likely have combination of some who are going for their Level II skiing and some may have passed their Level II and working for Level III. Skiing is the first module required for all. This is because it is the basis of all that we are doing. You will be doing a lot of skiing on that day. There will also be a few teaching scenarios as a part of the exam, to ensure you understand cause and effect and how to create a teaching progression that meets the needs of the student. At the specialty accreditation days, we will delve into the specialty looking for your knowledge of disabilities, equipment function and fit, student as-

sessment, teaching progressions using the teaching cycle and technical knowledge. All in the group will be doing the day of whatever the specialty is: Bi-ski, Mono-ski, 3 Track, 4 Track, Visual or Cognitive Those who score 4 – 7 will be Associate and those who score 8 – 10 will be Full accredited in that specialty. In order to be Nationally Certified at Level II and Level III you will need accreditation in all six specialties at the same level as well as skiing at that level. All modules that you have passed are banked for your lifetime as a member. In the past we combined the specialties and covered two in one day. Now each module will be a full day. This will give you more time to show us what you know in the specialty. As we know some people specialize in one or maybe two specialties in their program. If that is you, this will allow you to share your knowledge in that specialty, not only with us examiners, but others in the group. We are excited to find those members who have a specialty and can share their knowledge with us all. So come join us. And keep those questions and concerns coming. It helps keep us moving in a direction that supports the adaptive membership. We are here for you. <<

Sending Thanks Back to PSIA-E By Kathy Chandler Adaptive Advisor

need to thank PSIA-E for the many years of being a part of a group that shares the same passion for skiing and teaching. Gwen Allard, Pat

Crowley and I each received a plaque that thanked us for our commitment to PSIA for over 25 years. I know that both Gwen and Pat join me in wanting to send that appreciation back at PSIA-E. It is such an honor to be a part of an organization that values and continues to build expertise in skiing and teaching. Gwen got me (and Pat too) into this field and has mentored me (and many others) through my career in the Adaptive sector. Little did I know when I went to the first clinic in the east back in the 80’s that I would follow this path. It has been such a wonderful ride and I have continued to learn and grow for all of those 25+ years. I have watched the adaptive group grow and become an integral part of PSIA. Gwen worked hard to make that happen and she always urged all of us to become more involved. She pushed us to go farther in the alpine world. She set the standard high so we all would stretch to continue to grow. She started the adaptive snowboard group, which continues to grow as well. It is appropriate that the plaque is in her name. I am so honored to be recognized, but more important to me, I thank PSIA-E for always being there for me and accepting and supporting all of our adaptive group. Editor’s Note: No, thank YOU Kathy for your endless enthusiasm, dedication and ever-present smile in working with our office, our leadership and our members! << Eastern Adaptive Advisor Kathy Chandler with a familiar expression!

your turn Confessions of a “Geriatric” Ski Instructor By Sherm White “Just a Ski Pro” at Smugglers Notch, Vermont

s I write this, it’s stick season in Northern Vermont (gray, cold, wet), my ski equipment is ready, and my fall projects mostly completed, so it’s time to think ahead to teaching skiing again this winter, for my 46th season. A few things have come up in the last couple of weeks that have put me into the philosophical mood that has led to writing this article. I was sitting in the ski school office at Smugglers Notch where I teach, talking with one of my colleagues who is about the age of my youngest child (40). He has actually been heard to say that he enjoys having 70-year-old friends who still ski, although he might deny it if you ask him. He asked me how much longer I would be teaching skiing. I gave him my standard answer to the question, which seems to be asked more frequently the older I get (almost 70), that I would keep teaching as long as I both enjoyed doing it, and felt that I could still do the job. This past weekend, I participated in our ski patrol annual refresher. I feel that as a guide on a big mountain, I should have first aid skills, as well as knowledge of mountain protocols for emergencies. (Plus, how can you not enjoy spending time with a group that administers beer fines?) One of the training modules this year dealt with “geriatric skiers and riders”, and the particular challenges they face by still participating in snow sports (muscles weaken, joints get stiffer, reaction time slows down, more susceptibility to cold, etc.), all of which apply to me. I nailed the information in that module big time. So, I sit here on a November day, and I find myself asking why I still do it. Knowing there are a lot of snow sports instructors (mostly of the skiing persuasion) who are in my demographic, I thought I would share some of my reasons: 1. Both locally and globally, we are all part of a community of snow sports enthusiasts. We all share a love of the mountains and of snow sports and some of us choose to

spend time sharing this with the customers who come to our mountains to recreate. In good times, we come together and celebrate those good times. When times are tough, we are there for each other. This sense is important to everyone, but studies are beginning to show that community becomes particularly important as we age. 2. In my case, skiing is just about the most fun physical activity I participate in. People see me out running, biking and paddle boarding in the off season, and they ask if I’m getting in shape for ski season. My answer is always no, I am maintaining and improving my “shape” so that I am ready to ski. I already have my ski trip booked for Eastern British Columbia (with a group of active instructors and former patrollers of a similar age and like-minded attitude). 3. I find it hugely rewarding to go out with a group of strangers, ski with them, get to know them, and coach them to find ways to enhance their own enjoyment on the mountain. I’ve been doing this for 46 years, and when I see the light in their eyes and smiles on their faces when they realize they’ve really accomplished something in their skiing, it gives me as big a rush as the actual skiing part. 4. I still hold out the hope that I can improve my skills both teaching and skiing. I was also reading Robin Barnes’ excellent article on goal setting in the Fall 2017, 32 Degrees, and found myself enjoying the article, but asking is it really relevant to me? I am almost 70, have a gold pin, am a retired divisional education staff member, and hold National Life membership in PSIA. What is there left to achieve for goals (other than to keep going and stay upright)? The answer to my question lies in the reasons above, particularly the hope that I can still improve my teaching and skiing skills. I was certified in 1973, when I attended a 5-day combination pre-course and exam (at a cost of around $100). Over the years that has translated into the gold pin that I now have, that for many members symbolizes many exams and events, an abundance of knowledge (and a serious financial commitment). If I am honest with myself, if I were to go into the exam process today, with the experience and knowledge I had in 1973, I might be able to still meet the skiing standard, but would never make it through level 2 teaching. It’s a different world today, and I want to be a relevant part of it, so I’m a life-long learner. I can even say that I have read all the written material for Children’s Specialist 1 and 2, but just haven’t had the motivation to do the courses themselves. (They say geriatrics may lose their motivation for recognition as they age.) Being a National Life Member, I am no longer required to attend events to maintain my certifica-

tion, but I have only missed going to an annual event (sometimes Ed staff training) once or twice in my 44 years of membership. I go to: 1) validate that my skills and knowledge are still at a level where I feel I can proudly wear my gold pin, 2) learn new stuff, be it skiing related or teaching related, and 3) spend time cruising around a mountain, enjoying the company of others, and being a part of that snowsports community. So, in the face of all the obstacles mentioned above, and finally seeing the reality that yes, I am a geriatric skier, what are my goals for the season? 1) Even though I know the first day on the hill will be the worst day on the hill, to have myself tuned up enough that I can get right into a good mindset and performance level, even after a several month layoff. 2) To go out and ski with as many guests as I can this winter, and have them ski away feeling that our time together was well spent, and valuable to them. 3) To ski as much as I can with friends and just enjoy the camaraderie of sharing the mountain environment and lifestyle as well as the skiing. 4) To go to a PSIA event and come away with at least one new idea for how to be a more effective coach. Sounds like a pretty full plate for an old guy looking at 70. With any luck, those goals will still be there when I am looking at 80 (or 90?). I guess I better take off for my daily workout, so I can keep up. Sherm White, “just a ski pro” at Smugglers Notch, Vermont. Editor’s Note: Sherm is being quite modest. He is both a former National and Eastern Division PSIA President, a National Life Member and still serves as the Area Rep for Smuggler’s Notch!

Preventing Concussions By Dan McIntyre PSIA-E Adaptive Development Team

ne of the biggest changes in the snow sports industry over the last 15 – 20 years has been the widespread adoption of helmets. Most adaptive programs require them for both clients and instructors. Among the general public, 83% of all skiers and riders are wearing helmets (according to recent data from the National Ski Area Association). Yet traumatic brain injuries, especially concussions, still occur too often even when the user is wearing a helmet. Until recently, the reason increased helmet use has not affected the rate of brain injury has been a mystery. New research suggests the problem lies in how we build and test helmets. Historically, helmets have been designed to withstand blunt trauma. Imagine hitting one with a hammer, and seeing how hard you

23 have to hit it before it breaks. Unfortunately, we now know most concussions are not caused by this kind of impact. Research by David Camarillo and others shows that rotational (or twisting) forces play a major role in concussions. Rapid rotation of the head causes the brain to twist and stretch inside the skull, leading to injury. This type of injury does not require a crushing blow. A less severe glancing blow is often enough to seriously injure the brain. Most existing helmets do nothing to absorb rotational movement. To protect from this kind of injury, some new helmets are designed to allow the helmet’s outer shell to slide over its liner, absorbing some of the rotational energy. A system in use by many manufacturers to do this is called MIPS - Multi-Directional Impact Protection System, but other solutions are also being developed. Even selecting a helmet with a smooth outer surface could reduce the rotational forces experienced by the brain. I can’t tell you which design is most effective. These technologies are new to the snow sports industry, and we therefore don’t have data on their effectiveness. But the evidence clearly shows that concussions occur when our brain twists and stretches inside the skull. We need helmets built to prevent that mechanism of injury. I encourage you to learn more about concussion prevention and to consider updating your helmet. A good place to start is by watching David Camarillo’s TED talk (www.ted.com) and checking out the MIPS website (www.mipsprotection.com). New helmet designs being introduced by manufacturers are not simply gimmicks. They could prevent a very serious traumatic brain injury. We owe it to our clients, and ourselves, to be educated and spread the word about this important safety issue. <<

This section is utilized for the publication of articles from the membership, and we invite your active participation. Content reflects the opinion and knowledge of the writers only, and is not to be interpreted as official PSIA-E information.

>> Cover story (Big fun for a small group), continued

conductor, AASI Examiner Joe Jones. Joining us was a self-proclaimed “granny on skis” from New Hampshire who had never skied much in the way of powder or trees, a retired 30-something AASI Examiner from Park City on his board, a ripping 23-year-old Freestyle oriented skier from Rhode Island who was center-mounted on twin-tip skis and an LIII snowboarder in his 60’s from New Jersey. The goal of this clinic was on making wise TACTICAL choices of how to ski or ride the conditions and terrain with your existing skill set. Since this clinic wasn’t focused on developing technical skills specific to skiing or riding, Joe was able to create a phenomenal atmosphere with a very diverse group. Joe described and demonstrated great tactical choices using our existing skillsets to get our skiing and riding to that next level. Fresh snow beneath our feet, light and variable winds, and bluebird skies greeted us as we headed outside. We started off dipping our toes into the powder and terrain that Jay offers. Because several of us knew the mountain well, we were able to take different routes down for partial runs from time to time, so each participant could develop at their own pace within their comfort zone. There were smiles all around. We found powder on the trails, we found soft bumps in the trees. We explored steeps and chutes in and out of the trees and continually discussed what was working for us. The tone was relaxed and exciting at the same time. There was a little bit for everyone and a lot for us all. I’m grateful that we were able to host one of these new events here at Jay Peak this season and plan on keeping my eyes out for more in the future both here and at other resorts in the east. The ability to ski and ride with other like-minded folks on a variety of gear was something that I think

everyone in the group appreciated. We were fast friends, sharing fun, and developing our sliding in new ways. The clinician, the participants, and the ability to see the terrain from different points of view were the leading highlights of a clinic like this. And here is a note we received from one of the participants: Pop Up to Play at Jay January 10, 2018 a beautiful bluebird sky day at Jay. The temperature was downright chilly (COLD). The white brightness of the snow cover was dazzling, breathtaking gorgeous. Needless to say by the time the tram arrived at the peak the eye overload had settled into my knees - here I am at the top with four expert riders and a twenty year old freestyle skier. Yup way over my head! Breathe deep … jump in and enjoy! Upon settling the knee-knocking weakness I started off… just ski silly! The coaching we all received was superb! Spot on! Terrain choices for everyone were appropriately challenging, allowing for fun, growth and success. Safety, Fun and Learning! At the end of the two days I did not want to leave! Ann Junnila Level One Alpine Bretton Woods, New Hampshire Omni Mount Washington Resort <<

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